Berlin in the Third Reich & Germania

"... but what does my death matter, if through us, thousands of people are awakened and stirred to action?" Sophie Scholl, on the day of her execution, 22. Februar 1943

Themes of our private Third Reich Berlin Tour: Berlin during the Third Reich, Nazi takeover, political resistance, (everyday) life under the Nazi Regime, Hitler, Nazis, persecution, Germania... You can select topics or get an overview of us.

The Berlin self-image of tolerance and enlightenment was deeply shaken in the years 1933 to 1945 with the National Socialism. With radical street fighting and refined propaganda, the Nazis conquered the cosmopolitan and traditionally left-wing capital of the Weimar Republic. The resistance was broken using brutality, persecution and mass arrests in hitherto unimagined scale. Nevertheless, there were very brave and democratic personalities that stood in the way of this dictatorship. Discover some on our Private Tour.

Hitler planned – together with Albert Speer – a new, but above all, a bigger Berlin. The construction projects, along with the destruction of the war changed durably the face of the city. Our private guided tour leads to the preserved original sites of the Nazi power.

The office building of the Minister Goering and Goebbels are preserved as well as the tremendous building of the Reichsbank. Where did the book burning take place? Where was the central location for the transports of Jewish citizens in the camp? Where was Hitler's bunker? All these places are part of the tour and show how deep Berlin was marked by terror and war in these years.

Your personal guide

The Nazism and his actions leave speechless. Our Berlin city guide will tell you with historical knowledge, the background and the visions of Nazism, as well as the resistance against the Nazis. So you get a very thorough overview of this complex subject.

Some places of interest in the Berlin Third Reich Tour

The Reichstag is political building of importance like no other in the History. From Wilhelmine Empire to the Weimar Republic and the Nazi terror to the Cold War – the Reichstag always represented the political state of the country. What does the new glass dome has to do with the present Federal Republic, then?

What would Hitler say if he knew that, on the grounds of his former "New Chancellery", there is now a restaurant called "Peking Duck"? Planned as the government headquarters of world capital of "Germania", the long building ended in 1945 as a ruin. We go back to the place conceived to intimidate to the foreign visitors by the sheer size of the architecture.

The imposing headquarter of the Air Force survived the war without significant damage. Perhaps is that why the building was in the otherwise completely destroyed "House of Ministries" of the GDR. During the uprising on June 17th, 1953, it was object of protest marches and the Soviet tanks. In the 90s, stood here the seat of the “Trust Company”. In the 90s here there was the trust company that privatized the industry in the GDR. Today it houses the Federal Ministry of Finance. The house is like an onion and requires a qualified guide to navigate through all the layers.

This building opened in 1936. Goebbels gave his famous speeches in a special 'microphone room' inside. It was the combination of the use of sophisticated technology and psychology and the evil of the Nazi ideology that made this ministry such a frightening institution. The building survived the war almost undamaged: today the Secretary of labour has his seat here.

In May 1933, Nazi Storm Troopers and students of the nearby University burned 30 000 books on this site. When heavy rain almost put out the fire, the fire department of Berlin brought more fuel to the scene. The books of Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, Heinrich Mann and many others were burned here. The same night, Goebbels gave one of his hate-mongering speeches. Today the square is home to a memorial commemorating this first step taken by the Nazis in destroying German and human culture.

As if he knew what was to come, Hitler gave orders to enlarge the bunker next to the new chancellery in the 1930s. The last construction work was completed in January 1945. When Hitler moved permanently to his underground refuge, he still had to walk through puddles of oil and over wet concrete. Hidden here with his staff, he continued to dream of final victory. Today a restaurant and a supermarket can be found where Hitler had planned to found Germania.

On July 20th, 1944, a group of army officers attempted to kill Hitler with a bomb. A detailed plan described how the leadership of the Sates should be removed from the institutions and be given to non-Nazi personalities. The headquarters of the plot was in the headquarters of the Wehrmacht in Berlin, the so-called Bendlerblock.

The coup failed. The officers – including Earl Schenck of Staufenberg – were shot in the courtyard of the Bendlerblock. A memorial can be found today in the originally preserved courtyard. We accompany you to this location and explain on the site of the tragedy, what exactly happened on July 20th, 1944.

The site of the SS and Gestapo headquarters. A powerful exhibition on crimes committed by the Nazis is now housed in the excavated prison cells once used for the so-called "intensified questioning" of political opponents of the Nazi regime. This is where the Holocaust was planned, and where Reinhard Heydrich and Heinrich Himmler had their offices. Why did the German public ignore this place until the end of the 1970s?

Duration: 3-8 hours (can also be spanned over several day in case of focus on specific content)

Our proposition for max 6 persons

Mercedes VAN Tour (driver + guide)

Meeting point: in your hotel

Start time: 9 am

Duration: 6 hours

Price: 600€ with VAT

Our proposition for max 20 persons

Private bus tour (Driver + Guide)

Meeting point: in your hotel

Start time: 9 am

Duration: 6 hours

Price: 960€ with VAT

Guest comments

"Yes, everything went very well and we were very pleased with our short time in Berlin. Bernard particularly was excellent- we really appreciated his knowledge, friendliness and willingness to take into account our particular interests. And I should also note that Wolfgang was a good addition- he certainly knew the area and added his own special blend of knowledge. Please express our thanks to all. And our thanks to you also for your particular help in arranging for everything. We know there is a lot that goes on behind the scene and we appreciate your help in this regard. Best regards." – Mr. Wehr

“We cannot thank you enough for the 2 days we spent with you. You were a fantastic host and very, very informative on all aspects of Berlin. It has made me even more obsessive about your city. Although people say it about London, there is no place in the world where you can walk around and feel part of such history and your guiding really put it all into perspective…” – Mr. Nott

" I must remember to provide you with comments and feedback regarding the amazing tour. One rarely meets a "walking encyclopedia" such as yourself and it was fascinating to learn about Berlin in such a pleasant way. I left Germany in the mid-1990s and there are certainly substantial gaps in my historic knowledge, that call for revision. Vance was truly blown away, as he said." – Aline